FORMER chairman of Sheep Producers Australia Chris Mirams has joined a list of five candidates for three director positions in the 2025 Australian Wool Innovation board election.
Former SPA chair Chris Mirams.
Mr Mirams has won the support of AWI’s board nomination committee and the AWI board, along with South Australian farm manager Anthony Uren and restanding AWI director Dr Michelle Humphries.
New South Wales Merino breeder Drew Chapman and wool consultant Dr Paul Swan are also standing in the election, but failed to get the recommendation of the BNC or the AWI board.
Mr Mirams has held numerous board roles over more than 20 years, including as executive chair of Sheep Producers Australia and a director of the Sheep Health & Welfare Trust and Meat & Livestock Australia. He is currently principal of the agricultural consultancy Chris Mirams & Associates.
The BNC today released the reasoning behind its recommendations.
The AWI board today said it has accepted the recommendation of the independent Board Nomination Committee (BNC).
Following interviews, the independent BNC recommended the following candidates for shareholders’ consideration listed in alphabetical order.
- Dr Michelle Humphries
- Chris Mirams
- Anthony Uren
The AWI board has resolved that open proxies directed to the chair will be voted in favour of those three candidates.
AWI shareholders will be entitled to vote for any of the five director candidates who are standing for election to the board at the AGM.
The full list of nominations is:
- Drew Chapman
- Dr Michelle Humphries
- Chris Mirams
- Dr Paul Swan
- Anthony Uren
The three candidates with the most votes from shareholders, in person and by proxy, will be elected to the three vacant positions.
Paper ballots and online voting forms will be sent on Monday 6 October.
The AGM will be held live at Level 2, 345 George Street, Sydney NSW from 10am on Friday 14 November 2025, and online.
More details related to the election of Directors, together with the Nomination Form, Consent to Nomination Form and AWI’s Rules and Procedures governing the election of Directors are available from AWI’s website at www.wool.com/annualgeneralmeeting
I think the AWI board nomination committee has done ok this time, but not perfect.
Mirams is an excellent choice, actually independent, with vast experience, especially with corporate governance, which is sorely needed.
Uren also excellent, actually independent, with plenty of production and management experience; commercial, albeit at the big end of town.
But the BNC has missed badly with Swan, actually independent, who has vast experience with research, extension, processing and most importantly dealing with wool’s environmental credentials for at least 15 years, and working at AWI and with the International Wool Textile Organisation. This is one of the most important areas for a successful future in agriculture, especially wool.
This election, as in the past is a joke. The three candidates that the current board recommends will get on. AWI needs to be dissolved into other sheep bodies. The current board has failed in its leadership of the industry and therefore the nominees they recommend will keep AWI as it is; a failure.